1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Zoot Suit. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The stasis is that the play begins in Southern California in the 1940s. The protagonist, Henry Reyna, is a young Hispanic man. He is seen with his group of companions at a party, and they call themselves the 38th Street Gang. At this party, the group finds their rival gang (Downey Gang), and tension builds at this moment. They get into a fight. Later, Henry and his lover, Della, go on a trip to the Sleepy Lagoon, where they encounter the Downey Gang once more.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion is the breakout at the Sleepy Lagoon. At this moment, chaos ensues, and the dramatic action seems to develop especially because things seem tense at this point. Also, Jose Williams was killed at this time, which brings tension and gets the plot rolling at an even faster pace than before. This moment is the intrusion because it provides a sense of urgency in comparison to the stasis.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The events of the play take place because the Downey Gang bother the Williams Ranch, and the two lovers check out the scene, thinking a party is happening. It is possible that if the 38th Street Gang never went there, they would not have been attacked by the Williams. If this never happened, then the 38th Street Gang may never have been accused of murdering Jose Williams.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrustion.)
Will Henry get justice for his case?
Will Henry and Della stay together at the end of the play?
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a charcter. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
Henry wants to be free from the court case and get justice, but there are many obstacles against this desire.
A) Himself: Pachuco seems to serve as Henry's inner voice. While Pachuco does seem to help Henry come to good decisions at certain times, there are certain moments in the play where he seems to advocate for the "wrong" thing. In turn, it is possible that Henry questions if he does deserve justice because of certain thoughts he may have.
B + C) Another Individual/society: these two obstacles seem to blend in with each other because it's a mixture of the court/judges/society all together. They all generally have the same reason to serve as an obstacles. For example, the court and society both seem to have some sort of racist perspective against Henry and his gang. Clearly, they are not willing to let him win the court case. They are adamant that Henry and the gang were involved in Jose's murder because of their Hispanic heritage, showing the audience how racist society and the court can be. In fact, it can be assumed that the court's views reflect upon society's. The court is likely to be racist because the rest of society is as well.
D) There is not much evidence in the play for this type of obstacle, except that there are alternate endings to this play, which can signify as "fate." For example, in the ending that Henry dies in jail can serve be as an obstacle since fate did not allow this. The other endings don't seem to be too much of obstacles, however.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one.
The most theatrical moments in this play are when Henry loses the case, when he wins the appeal, and when he finally decides to be with Della. The first moment is immensely theatrical because it shows despair, disbelief, and the injustice against Hispanics. It highlights what the play is really about, which is to bring to light the injustices against Hispanics especially in court. When the 38th Street Gang win the appeal, however, it brings relief and happiness to the play. It almost provides a sense of closure and satisfaction, despite the play having a few more moments left. The final theatrical moment is when he decides to completely devote himself to Della, despite the fact that he has more or less hurt her future. This moment is romantic and tender, and it shows the audience the drama of love.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
Images:
The Zoot Suit itself: this shows the fashion choices of Hispanic men in the 1940s because most if not all of the 38th Street Gang wear zoot suits to show their heritage and such. This helps the imagery because then the audience can visualize the characters better.
Pachuco: This character symbolizes Henry's inner voice and his consternation with his internal dilemma. This character helps develop dramatic action by bringing in choices and actions Henry wants to do and such. This shows imagery of dilemma.
Sleepy Lagoon: This is more or less a lover's getaway, and the audience can clearly see the romantic imagery when Henry takes Della to this intimate spot. It shows romance but also gloom because it is the place where Jose is killed and the 38th Street Gang gets involved in the murder.
The title helps us understand the play because the zoot suit is essentially what brings the 38th Street Gang war together and what decides their court case result. The zoot suit shows a sense of unity within the gang because they all wear these suits to show their Hispanic heritage. On the other hand, because this suit symbolizes Chicano heritage, the court is more likely to send them to jail over the accusation of Jose's death. The court is clearly biased and racist against Hispanics, so the title helps us understand the play in the sense that there have been injustices against Hispanic people.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit.
The themes are racial injustice, love, sacrifice, murder, racial stigma, law/power, civil rights, and family.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit?
Family seems to play a smaller part in this play. For example, the Reyna family is in the play for brief moments. They clearly do not want Henry to go to jail and sit through the court case, acting as a symbol of hope in the play. This serves as hope because the audience can relate with the family in the sense that they hope the case will go okay, but this hope is crushed when Henry and the 38th Street Gang are sent to jail. Also, Della is almost like family since she is Henry's lover. Her faith and love for Henry help stimulate the dramatic action by providing more hope that the appeal will go okay. In the end, Henry wins the appeal.
The stasis is that the play begins in Southern California in the 1940s. The protagonist, Henry Reyna, is a young Hispanic man. He is seen with his group of companions at a party, and they call themselves the 38th Street Gang. At this party, the group finds their rival gang (Downey Gang), and tension builds at this moment. They get into a fight. Later, Henry and his lover, Della, go on a trip to the Sleepy Lagoon, where they encounter the Downey Gang once more.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion is the breakout at the Sleepy Lagoon. At this moment, chaos ensues, and the dramatic action seems to develop especially because things seem tense at this point. Also, Jose Williams was killed at this time, which brings tension and gets the plot rolling at an even faster pace than before. This moment is the intrusion because it provides a sense of urgency in comparison to the stasis.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The events of the play take place because the Downey Gang bother the Williams Ranch, and the two lovers check out the scene, thinking a party is happening. It is possible that if the 38th Street Gang never went there, they would not have been attacked by the Williams. If this never happened, then the 38th Street Gang may never have been accused of murdering Jose Williams.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrustion.)
Will Henry get justice for his case?
Will Henry and Della stay together at the end of the play?
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a charcter. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
Henry wants to be free from the court case and get justice, but there are many obstacles against this desire.
A) Himself: Pachuco seems to serve as Henry's inner voice. While Pachuco does seem to help Henry come to good decisions at certain times, there are certain moments in the play where he seems to advocate for the "wrong" thing. In turn, it is possible that Henry questions if he does deserve justice because of certain thoughts he may have.
B + C) Another Individual/society: these two obstacles seem to blend in with each other because it's a mixture of the court/judges/society all together. They all generally have the same reason to serve as an obstacles. For example, the court and society both seem to have some sort of racist perspective against Henry and his gang. Clearly, they are not willing to let him win the court case. They are adamant that Henry and the gang were involved in Jose's murder because of their Hispanic heritage, showing the audience how racist society and the court can be. In fact, it can be assumed that the court's views reflect upon society's. The court is likely to be racist because the rest of society is as well.
D) There is not much evidence in the play for this type of obstacle, except that there are alternate endings to this play, which can signify as "fate." For example, in the ending that Henry dies in jail can serve be as an obstacle since fate did not allow this. The other endings don't seem to be too much of obstacles, however.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one.
The most theatrical moments in this play are when Henry loses the case, when he wins the appeal, and when he finally decides to be with Della. The first moment is immensely theatrical because it shows despair, disbelief, and the injustice against Hispanics. It highlights what the play is really about, which is to bring to light the injustices against Hispanics especially in court. When the 38th Street Gang win the appeal, however, it brings relief and happiness to the play. It almost provides a sense of closure and satisfaction, despite the play having a few more moments left. The final theatrical moment is when he decides to completely devote himself to Della, despite the fact that he has more or less hurt her future. This moment is romantic and tender, and it shows the audience the drama of love.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
Images:
The title helps us understand the play because the zoot suit is essentially what brings the 38th Street Gang war together and what decides their court case result. The zoot suit shows a sense of unity within the gang because they all wear these suits to show their Hispanic heritage. On the other hand, because this suit symbolizes Chicano heritage, the court is more likely to send them to jail over the accusation of Jose's death. The court is clearly biased and racist against Hispanics, so the title helps us understand the play in the sense that there have been injustices against Hispanic people.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit.
The themes are racial injustice, love, sacrifice, murder, racial stigma, law/power, civil rights, and family.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit?
Family seems to play a smaller part in this play. For example, the Reyna family is in the play for brief moments. They clearly do not want Henry to go to jail and sit through the court case, acting as a symbol of hope in the play. This serves as hope because the audience can relate with the family in the sense that they hope the case will go okay, but this hope is crushed when Henry and the 38th Street Gang are sent to jail. Also, Della is almost like family since she is Henry's lover. Her faith and love for Henry help stimulate the dramatic action by providing more hope that the appeal will go okay. In the end, Henry wins the appeal.